The Cytome Assay as a Tool to Investigate the Possible Association Between Exposure to Extremely Low Frequency Magnetic Fields and an Increased Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease
Affiliations: [a] Scientific Institute of Public Health (WIV-ISP), Toxicology Unit, Brussels, Belgium
| [b] Faculty of Pharmacy, Free University of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
| [c]
Scientific Institute of Public Health (WIV-ISP), Health and Environment Unit, Brussels, Belgium
| [d] Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
Correspondence:
[*]
Correspondence to: Prof. Dr. Luc Verschaeve, Scientific Institute of Public Health, O.D. Food, Medicines and Consumer Safety, Toxicology Unit, J. Wytsmansstreet 14, B-1050 Brussels,Belgium. Tel.: +32 2 642 54 36; Fax: +32 2 642 52 24; E-mail: luc.verschaeve@wiv-isp.be.
Abstract: Exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) has been identified as one of the potential environmental risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, this is far from being established. So far there is no experimental evidence supporting this alleged association. We have performed an in vitro cytogenetic laboratory investigation to explore the plausibility of such association. Our investigation was based on possible similarities found in cells from AD patients and in cells exposed to ELF-MF. We especially found that 50 Hz ELF-MF increase the frequency of cells with (large) micronuclei and nuclear buds indicating that fields above 50 μT may induce chromosome instabilities as those found in AD patients. It should be stressed yet that results from the few published experimental studies on ELF-MF and AD are rather reassuring. Thus, our findings certainly do not prove anything. They only suggest that further investigations might be necessary.
